Topton Business Lawyers

Larry J. Ford is an attorney with 47 years of experience whose practice provides legal services to business owners, families, individuals, and retired persons in the following areas: Asset Protection Planning, Business Planning, Corporations, Charitable Trusts, Estate Planning, Federal Tax Planning, Family Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies, Living Trusts, Medicaid Planning, Real Estate, and Wills and Estates. Ford first practiced law in the Asheville/Hendersonville area, then was in the corporate business and legal arena in Charlotte, NC, prior to returning to Hayesville in 1991. In Charlotte, Ford served as Vice-President/Legal Counsel with two different title insurance companies, and as a...

Bill Cannon is a native of Leesburg, Georgia and has been practicing law for more than 30 years. He focuses his practice in the area of civil litigation and has extensive experience in complex litigation. Bill enjoys working closely with his clients in finding innovative solutions to the challenges they face. He has a keen interest in professionalism and has been a speaker for orientations on professionalism at law schools. Bill is an author of a variety of professional articles and has made many presentations on professionalism in the practice of law and the importance of the justice system.

Chase is a native of Murphy, North Carolina and loves practicing in the Appalachian mountains. Chase has focused his work in trial advocacy, and spends a great deal of time on contracts, construction law, foreclosures, and other civil disputes. He has a talent for drafting contracts and leases, and he represents his clients in any litigation over those contracts and leases. At Wake Forest School of Law, Chase was the treasurer of the Public Interest Law Organization and an active member of the Inn of Court, a national ethics-based organization. Chase is a member of First Baptist...

Experienced business law practitioner, dealing with transactions and litigation in Western North Carolina.

As a partner attorney at my firm, Asheville Legal, I assist clients to resolve disputes primarily in the areas of business, construction, insurance, and real estate. I strive to deliver masterful litigation services, and I pride myself on outmaneuvering the opposition and in clear communication with my clients regarding costs and expectations. I live in Asheville, North Carolina with my wife and four children.

Boasting over 30 years of experience as an attorney in both North Carolina and Texas, Mike Wimer strives to deliver masterful and unparalleled civil litigation services. Mike prides himself on having the stamina, fortitude, and expertise to handle the most complex and challenging civil disputes in the areas of construction law, insurance claims, and business disputes.

Andy Strauss is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning & Probate Law. His North Carolina practice includes the full spectrum of complex estate planning, estate tax planning, and asset protection planning. He is a 1978 graduate of Georgetown University School of Law and a member of the North Carolina, Florida, and Pennsylvania State Bars. Andrew is married to Holly and has two daughters: Spencer and Courtney.

I'm an attorney practicing in Western North Carolina and licensed to practice in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas. I primarily focus on transactional law and estate planning. I'm originally from Georgia, but went to Wake Forest for Law School. While at Wake Forest, I was involved in the Moot Court, Public Interest Law Organization, Phi Alpha Delta, and the Federalist Society. My main practice areas are estate planning, business law, trademarks, and family law. I am a guardian ad litem in several of the counties here in Western North Carolina.

Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning & Probate Law

Rod is a cannabis business law attorney. He represents legal cannabis businesses through-out the world and is editor and chief writer of the Kight On Cannabis law blog (www.kightoncannabis.com). Rod is the author of “Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know”, published by Aspatore Books in August 2015. Rod is on the advisory board for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine, for which he also writes a legal column. Rod is frequently quoted on cannabis matters by trade publications and major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Time, Politico, and Business Insider. Additionally, Rod has been listed in MG...

Patrick Twisdale is an attorney at Twisdale Law, PC with experience in patents, trademarks, and copyrights across Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Patrick provides strategic legal solutions for businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs. His background includes roles with the USPTO and NC State University’s Office of Research Commercialization, giving him a deep understanding of IP law. From patent filings to trademark disputes, Patrick is committed to helping clients safeguard their intellectual property and navigate complex legal challenges.

Christopher B. "Chris" Reinhardt is a native and life long resident of North Carolina. He is a second generation attorney, his father being an accomplished real estate attorney in Durham, North Carolina. Chris was admitted to practice in 2003, North Carolina and has practiced in the Asheville area since being admitted. Community: Chris is currently the Legal Counsel for Daniel Boone Council of the Boy Scouts of America serving all of the 14 western most counties of North Carolina. Chris is a Past-President of the Brevard College Alumni Advisory Board, which he has been a member of from...

Craig Associates, PC was founded by attorney Christopher M. Craig to support the administrative and legal needs of growing families & businesses. Estate planning and the laws of inheritance are complex, so we can help simplify the process to ensure your end-of-life preferences, including trusts & wills, are handled effectively. Chris Craig sees clients across Buncombe County, convenient to Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Hendersonville, Highlands, Cashiers & other communities in Western NC. The practice provides estate law services, as well as adoption and small business law services. Our proactive approach empowers you to secure and safeguard your most precious assets:...

At the family dinner table while I was growing up, we enjoyed vigorous argument and debate as much as the food. Even as a child, I loved finding out all of the facts. Going to law school seemed a natural choice. After graduating, I immediately headed to New York to work for a large, international law firm. I learned a tremendous amount. But something, or someone, was missing. You. And me. I realized that I wanted to be collaborating with my clients, that all those facts, all the research, all the arguments, even the law, only made...

Craig Law Firm, PLLC, provides legal services, including counsel; document and contract drafting, review, and enforcement; and negotiation and litigation assistance in State and Federal courts, in the following areas of law: Business Law: We work with small and medium-size business, including start-ups, in their formation, management, and transfer or dissolution. We work with sole proprietors, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations (S or C designations, and "B" corporations). Real Estate Law: We work with property owners and occupiers in ownership, leasing, and use issues. We assist in developing lease, purchase or sale, and other agreements. We also work with title,...

Family and relationships are so important to me and I know they are for you as well. It’s one of the reasons that, after practicing many types of law, I’ve settled into the areas of law that we all will eventually face: including end-of-life planning and estate administration. I know these are often difficult topics with challenging decisions for individuals and families, especially for adult children of elderly parents, the terminally ill or those who are in domestic partnerships not legally recognized as marriage under North Carolina law. My job is to provide you with clarity on the law and...

Edward L. Bleynat, Jr. began his legal career by clerking for James G. Exum, Jr., then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. He later went to work with a major Greensboro law firm in a general litigation practice, focusing on business litigation and tort law.

In 1995, Ed, his wife and children relocated to Asheville, North Carolina to continue his law practice and to raise their family in Western North Carolina, where Ed grew up. After Ed started his own firm in 1997, he and Joe Ferikes merged their practices into Ferikes & Bleynat, PLLC in 2001.

Ed...

I have served as General Counsel to a Fortune 500 Company, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., and have practiced in both large and medium size law firms. I have also worked for and with State and Federal agencies in regulatory matters and litigation. As the in-house General Counsel for Carnival Cruise Lines, during its explosive growth period, I developed considerable expertise in all facets of corporate governance and management, including intellectual property, securities, anti-trust issues and every imaginable type of litigation and contractual matter. During this period major events, coordinated and directed through my Office, included Carnival's Initial Public Offering; the...

My name is Tom Curry. I'm a partner at my firm Davis Curry Law where we specialize in Family Law, Criminal, Trademark, and Business law. I've specialized personally in Trademark and startup law for the past years while also assisting with Family and other cases. As an entrepreneur I've worked with dozens of small and medium businesses on optimizing business structure, terms, contracts, and agreements. When not practicing, I love playing with anything with an engine.

Walter E. Daniels III
Attorney

Admissions
- Licensed to practice in North Carolina (2000) and Louisiana (2002).

- Admitted to practice in Federal District Court for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of North Carolina as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Affiliations
- North Carolina State Bar Association - North Carolina Academy of Justice

- American Academy of Justice -28th Judicial Bar - American Bar Association

Education
Juris Doctorate, University of Alabama School of Law, 1999

International Law and Comparative Law, Fribourg University, Fribourg, Switzerland, Summer 1997

B.A., Politics, University of Alabama, 1994

Birthplace
Birmingham, Alabama 1972

As a former Prosecutor and a Board Certified Specialist in State Criminal Law, Dustin has extensive litigation experience in courts all over Western Carolina. He has handled cases ranging from petty misdemeanors to 1st Degree Murder and Seven Figure Traumatic Injury cases. He has tried over 50 Jury trials to verdict and is ready to help you with your legal needs, big and small.

An Asheville native, Peter Kanipe has been practicing law since 2002. Considered a General Practice attorney, Mr. Kanipe has successfully represented his clients in many different areas of law. Please call 828-378-0058 for more information.

Ryan Luft is the Managing Member of Luft Tumlin PLLC and is licensed to practice law in New York and North Carolina. His law practice is focused on contracts, trademark applications, oppositions, and disputes, and every day legal matters that affect businesses. Ryan and his colleagues maintain a blog devoted to trademark and copyright law: www.nctrademarklawyers.com and a website at luft-tumlin.com.

Harkey Litigation in North Carolina is managed by W. Scott Harkey, who previously served as a special prosecutor for the Financial Crimes Unit from March 2013 until May 2021. Prior to that, he worked at a law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he defended civil cases. Scott has an impressive track record of successfully trying jury cases in both state and federal courts in North Carolina, and has secured favorable verdicts in multi-million-dollar disputes. He even obtained his first multi-million-dollar judgment at the young age of 28. Since 2013, Scott has tried more complex white-collar cases in North Carolina than...

As an expert estate, trust and tax attorney, Greg Herman-Giddens provides comprehensive wealth planning, protection and management services to residents of Florida, North Carolina Tennessee and New York. He also provides consulting adn co-counseling services to attorneys throughout the country. Through careful selection of strategies tailored to clients' individualized goals and objectives, he helps individuals protect their family, preserve assets and save taxes.

Owning the legal rights to your brand is one of the smartest investments you can make in your Online Business. I help internet entrepreneurs do just that by registering their trademarks with the USPTO. As an internet entrepreneur myself, I have an intimate understanding of what can happen to your business if you don't claim your legal rights. Rebranding your business can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. A Federal Trademark Infringement lawsuit can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you compare these costs to the relatively small investment to register your brand name, not to mention the...

John comes to the law as Career 2.0. After spending 15+ years as an engineer and project manager, John went back to law school to become an attorney. Since graduating, John has focused his practice on working with breweries, wineries, distilleries, and other artisanal alcohol beverage producers.

Born and raised in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Ronnie Crisco is a proud alumnus of A.L. Brown High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a degree in Public Policy Studies. In 2002, he received his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005. While in law school, Mr. Crisco competed nationally as a member of the UNC Mock Trial Team, assisted indigent clients through the UNC Civil Legal Assistance Clinic, and served as editor on the UNC Journal of Law and Technology.

Mr. Crisco is a Board Certified Specialist in Family...

Scale and protect your business. [Email inquiries containing more than name, business name, contact information, and general nature of the services sought (EX: "independent contractor agreement" or "trademark dispute") will be ignored.] Corporation Bylaws, LLC Operating Agreement, Partnership Agreement, Capital Contributions Agreement, Buy-Sell Agreement, Scope of Work, Independent Contractor/Subcontractor Agreement, Master Services Agreement (MSA), Service Level Agreement (SLA), Consulting Agreement, Content/Course Creation Agreement, Termination/Release/Settlement Agreement, Assignment/Transfer Agreement, Work Made for Hire Agreement, Employment Agreement, Profit/Revenue Sharing Agreement, Joint Venture Agreement, Arbitration/Dispute Resolution Agreement, Noncompetition/Noncompete Agreement, Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA), Confidentiality Agreement, Nonpoaching/Nonrecruitment Agreement, Nonsolicitation Agreement, Lease Agreement, and more Non-Employee Classification/Status (independent contractor,...

Gilbert Carey is an attorney and certified public accountant with the McDowell Law Group. He practices in the areas of Taxation, Tax Resolution and Controversy and Estate Planning, solving tax, business, and legal challenges for individuals, privately held businesses and their owners. He has an Avvo rating of 10 (Superb) and has been recognized as a Top Lawyer of Coastal Virginia by Coastal Virginia Magazine. Mr. Carey regularly advises clients on tax matters and represents clients in tax disputes with the IRS, state tax agencies and in U.S. Tax Court. He provides income tax planning and compliance advice to individuals, trusts,...

To R. Anthony “Tony” Hartsoe, the law has always felt like a calling, not a job. He loves helping people through some of the toughest moments in their lives. With a family of his own and work experience that dates back to when he was 12 years old, Tony can relate to many of his clients and utilizes his knowledge to aggressively represent them with strength and integrity. He received his Bachelor of the Arts Degree from Oral Roberts University before attending Washington University School of Law. Tony graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1994. Attorney Hartsoe has worked...

Sherrod Seward, Esq., is a renowned attorney and business strategist based in South Florida. As the principal of Sherrod Sports Visas, he has secured O and P visas for elite clients, including boxing champions Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury, NFL players, NASCAR teams, and One Championship fighters. His work extends to current partnerships with several world champions, solidifying his reputation in sports immigration law. Sherrod also brings extensive experience in trade finance, having served as a broker for export trade credit and political risk insurance with International Risk Consultants Inc., the largest specialty brokerage in the U.S. He played a...